Samir (filmmaker)

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Samir Jamal al Din (born 29 July 1955), known professionally as Samir, is a Swiss filmmaker, film producer and director.

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Life and work

Samir was born the son of a Swiss mother and an Iraqi father in Baghdad. Samir's full name is Samir Jamal al Din / Samir Jamal Aldin. His family moved to Switzerland in 1961, where he went to school. He attended the School of Design in Zurich (today's ZHdK), completed an apprenticeship as a typographer (1971–73) and subsequently trained as a cameraman with Condor Films. From 1983, he worked as a freelance director and cinematographer. From 1984 to 1991 he was a writer and member of Videoladen Zurich (Video Store Zurich). In 1994, he and documentary filmmaker Werner Schweizer overtook the Dschoint Ventschr  [ de ] film production company.

From the mid-1980s, Samir began to produce his own films. In the 1990s he worked on behalf of Condor Films [1] as a director of series like Eurocops [2] and television films for German TV stations. His list of works – as a writer, director and/or producer – now includes over 40 short and feature films for cinema and TV. [3] [4]

In 2006 Samir received the Aargau Culture Award (Aargauer Kulturpreis). [5]

Samir has chosen to only use his first name, as explained in this quote:

...why? "Jamal al Din means 'beauty of religion'. I do not know how you would feel if you were not very religious, and would always have to say, 'Hello, my name is Beauty of Religion'," says [he] ...For me Samir is perfect, as that means 'Storyteller'. [6]

Filmography

as director (selection)

As co-/producer a.o.: documentary film White Terror by Daniel Schweizer (2005), mockumentary Birdseye by Stephen Beckner and Michael C. Huber (2002), feature films Nachbeben / Aftershock by Stina Werenfels (2006), Das Fräulein by Andrea Staka (2006), Opération Libertad by Nicolas Wadimoff (2012), Dawn by Romed Wyder.

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References

  1. ↑ Samir mentioned (a.o.) in the Filmography (selection) section at Condor Films company portrait (condorfilms.com)
  2. ↑ Samir mentioned (a.o.) in the Eurocops Schweiz press release of SRF (srf.ch)
  3. ↑ SWISS FILMS: Samir at Swiss Films  [ de ] (swissfilms.ch)
  4. ↑ SAMIR Producer, Author, Director – bio- and filmography at Dschoint Ventschr  [ de ] (dschointventschr.ch)
  5. ↑ Samir erhält den Aargauer Kulturpreis 2006 , media release, AZ Medien  [ de ] (azmediengruppe.ch), 4/19/06
  6. ↑ "Iraqi Odyssey" auf der Berlinale: Geschichten aus dem Sorgenland ("Iraqi Odyssey" at Berlinale: Stories from the Worries Land), by Daniela Sannwald, Tagesspiegel (tagesspiegel.de), 2/8/15

Reviews

Iraqi Odyssey (2014)

Forget Baghdad (2002)

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